Vincent
Vincent has the characteristics of both a man and a lion. His body is basically human in shape. He walks and talks like a man, yet his facial features are those of a lion. His body is covered in fur; he has claws and fangs. When he's angry he roars like a lion. He is much stronger and faster than a normal human, with heightened senses. He is a kind, noble soul but he must always struggle against his feral, primal side. The details of Vincent's birth remain a mystery. His parents are unknown. As a newborn infant, the leonine mutant was found abandoned, wrapped in rags in the snow outside St. Vincent's hospital in New York City, on the coldest day of the year. He was found, barely alive, by a woman named Anna Pater and brought to the subterranean sanctuary known as "the Tunnels". (The "Tunnels" are a secret underground haven where a group of disenchanted people have formed a peaceful society based on cooperation and kindness. There are miles of forgotten caverns and tunnels deep under New York, which have become a home for those who want to escape from the hectic, cold world above.) Anna brings the baby--who is given the name Vincent--to the nominal leader of the Tunnels, Jacob Wells (Who goes by the title "Father") and they nurse the baby back to health. Anna wants to raise Vincent as her own, but her husband John Pater (AKA Paracelsus) becomes obsessed with the child. A schism develops in the tunnels between the power-hungry Paracelsus and the benign Father. Anna decides that Vincent would be safer with Father and gives the child to him. Paracelsus kills Anna and tries to overthrow Father, claiming Vincent and the Tunnels as his own. He almost succeeds in his coup but Father reunites the Tunnels dwellers using baby Vincent as a symbol. Father points out that an act of kindness saved Vincent's life and only through such acts of love and unity can the colony survive. Paracelsus loses his followers and is eventually exiled. Father raises Vincent as a parent and a guardian. Father educates Vincent, who is highly intelligent. Vincent learns poetry, philosophy, foreign languages (even sign language) and history. He reads all the classics. Vincent's best friend growing up is a boy named Devin (Father's biological son), an adventurous lad who eventually leaves the Tunnels to travel the world. Vincent begins to realize the limitations of his existance. He can never leave the Tunnels. If his lion-like form was ever found on the surface, they'd dissect him to find out what he is. Or they might put him in a cage, making him wish he were dead. Despite his seeking spirit, Vincent is destined to be limited to the confines of his underground home. During his early teen years, puberty took a powerful toll on Vincent. He began to lose control of his beastly side and had to be restrained for several weeks to keep him from hurting anyone. Eventually, he recovers from this dark period but forever after, he is on guard against the power of his feral side. He fears what he might do if he were ever to lose control. But despite his reluctance to unleash his savage side, Vincent will not hesitate to use his power to defend the Tunnels from danger (as when a violent gang takes up residence in the Tunnels and begins attacking Father's group). Vincent will savagely rend an enemy apart, but once he regains his composure he is overcome with sadness for what he had to do. Curious and overcome with a desire to see more of the world than just his tunnel home, Vincent frequently leaves his underworld sanctuary and explores beyond the colony. He becomes an urban legend to transit workers who have frequently reported sighting a lion-like creature in the NY subways. Nightly, Vincent roams through Central Park or the dark back alleys or the rooftops of Manhattan, covered in a hood that hides his face. It was on one of these nocturnal excursions that he met the love of his life, Catherine. Catherine Chandler, a beautiful lawyer, is attacked by a group of men and left for dead in the park. Vincent finds her and brings her to the Tunnels where he and Father (a former surgeon) nurse her back to health. Catherine's eyes are covered with a blindfold so she can't see where she is, nor can she see Vincent's true appearance. She finds him kind and gentle. After weeks underground, she rips off her blindfold and sees Vincent for the first time. After an initial reaction of fear, she accepts him for what he is and they begin to fall in love. Even after Catherine is returned to her life above, she and Vincent are still connected. An empathic psychic bond links the two, and Vincent can feel Catherine's emotions, even from miles away. He always knows when she is in danger. This comes in handy for Catherine, who has given up her cushy job at a corporate law firm and joined the District Attorney's office, inspired by her near-fatal experience to change her life and do good for other people. As a DA operative, she often works on dangerous cases, and her life is frequently put in jeopardy by gangsters, slum lords, and various nasty characters. Whenever danger threatens, Vincent comes rushing to Catherine's rescue, ripping apart anyone who dares attack his true love. Vincent dresses in a Byronesque style which compliments his romantic nature. He will often visit Catherine in her 18th floor apartment by scaling the walls of her building at night and climbing onto Catherine's balcony Romeo style. The balcony is their special place. He and Catherine will frequently spend hours on that balcony talking or reading to each other. Vincent, with his deep, throaty voice, likes to read poetry to Catherine. Two years after first meeting, their relationship is tested when Paracelsus returns. He manipulates Vincent with a series of cruel mind-games, making Vincent lose control of his beastly side. Vincent slays Paracelsus and retreats into the bowls of the Earth, savage and out of control. Catherine finds him and uses their connection to reach his noble side and save his soul. The two finally consummate their relationship after two years of chaste, unrequited love. Catherine becomes pregant with Vincent's child but she is soon captured by powerful crime lord Gabriel, who she has been investigating. As Gabriel questions her, he learns that she is with child. When Vincent comes crashing in to rescue her, Gabriel realizes that Vincent must be the father and that the child is something unique and special. Gabriel decides that he wants the baby for his own, as an heir to his criminal empire. Vincent fails to rescue Catherine and Gabriel spirits her away to an alternate lair. (Vincent and Catherine's empathic connection had been mysteriously broken after they made love.) Gabriel keeps Catherine a prisoner for 6 months until the baby is born. Gabriel then poisons Catherine. Vincent arrives too late and Catherine dies in his arms. Vincent vows to find his abducted son and get revenge against Gabriel. Vincent spends months hunting the evil Gabriel with the help of a new ally, police detective Diana Bennett (who discovered Vincent while investigating Catherine's murder). Eventually, Vincent recovers his lost child and Gabriel is killed by Diana. In a Naming Ceremony attended by all the Tunnel dwellers and by Diana, Vincent names his son Jacob (After Father.) When last seen, Vincent had settled down to life as a father, raising his son in the Tunnels. Category:Humans Category:Males Category:Hero monsters Category:TV monsters Category:All monsters Category:Lions